COVID-19: First, Be Safe; But Also Be Productive

“Sadin on Digital” episodes explore the fast-changing and high-stakes world of digital business. Wayne Sadin and I focus in particular on what CEOs and boards must do to lead their companies successfully into the Digital Age. Today, we talk coronavirus and why it’s a number one priority.

Episode 13

In this episode: Wayne begins by saying the world divides up into the digital haves and the digital have nots. He says if you’re Google, every Googler has a mobile device and they carry it with them everywhere they go. Their network has the ability to handle more than 100,000 people working at home. But he says with construction companies and manufacturing companies, 90% of your staff works in the office – and that’s an abrupt transition.

He says meanwhile, you’ve got people quarantined and locked down out of a sense of prudence – and you may want more and more people to work from home.

Wayne says people laugh when he comes into a client’s office, because has a power supply, a spare screen, charging bricks, a battery, and two headsets in the bag. But he says, it’s naïve to say everybody’s got a laptop, because that’s not the case. For example, you don’t need a laptop when you’re an accounts payable person. And he says you probably have collaboration tools. On the business side, he says, are your people aware of how to log in? How about printers? Do they have a printer at home?

He says the coronavirus is number one priority. Staying home and staying healthy is something he wouldn’t prioritize over corporate profits. He says there are going to be companies that emerge from this crisis in better shape. And there are companies that are just going to fall apart because they can’t operate in a different model.

Wayne says the crisis may be over in a couple of weeks, but he says the infection rate is going to overload the healthcare environment. He says what if we had a rolling problem for six months to 12 months. He says that’s his message to IT – don’t assume it’s over.

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